Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans
Not all kidnappers grab your loved ones. A growing online threat – ransomware – essentially abducts your computer system, putting data and services off-limits to users and demanding a payment to restore access. “We are seeing more cases of this – sometimes almost on a daily basis,” said New Jersey State Police Capt. Steve Jones. “And we’re not seeing all of it, because people may be too embarrassed or don’t believe it can be helped.” Ransomware viruses are a plague. Once infected — installed to your computer by a website you’ve visited, a rogue email attachment or link, or instant message — your computer will lock up. With names like CryptoWall, these types of viruses may create a popup window or Web page warning you that you’ve broken some law and have to pay a fine, anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, according to the FBI. These scams threaten to encrypt your files forever or destroy them unless a ransom is paid, according to the FBI. Once paid, your computer is unlocked or a code is sent to unlock the machine, authorities said. Between April 2014 and June 2015, the FBI received 992 CryptoWall-related complaints with victims reporting a […]
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